April 29, 2019 Regular Council Summary

Committee Recommendations
The following five Council Committees will be dissolved: Community Planning and Development Committee, Community Vitality Committee, Public Safety Committee, Public Works and Engineering Committee and Parks, Recreation and Wellness Committee. The Finance & Audit Committee will continue with a rotating Chair, based on the Acting Mayor schedule.
Section 9 b.1

Council meetings will soon be more accessible as the implementation of closed captioning for meeting recordings was approved. The annual license fee will be $22,400 with a one-time fee of $2,900 for implementation and training.

Council will be submitting an application to host the Association of Vancouver Island and Coastal Communities 2020 Annual Convention. If the application is successful, funding of up to $15,174 will be budgeted for it in 2020.

Permissive tax exemptions were awarded to the following organizations: the Nanaimo Brain Injury Society, the Let Me Be Me Learning Foundation, the Nanaimo 7-10 Club Society and the Nanaimo Region John Howard Society. A cash grant was also awarded to the Nanaimo Region John Howard Society for their 2019 property taxes for the property at 2353 Rosstown Road.
Section 9 b.2

Council approved the hiring of an additional Engineering Development Technician. The addition of this full-time position will help reduce permit and development processing times, positively impacting the development community and general public. 
Section 9 b.3

A funding request of $48,000 has been granted to the Mid-Island Business Initiative for the Manufacturing Technology & Entrepreneurship Council program. 
Section 9 c

Financial Plan & Property Taxes
The 2019-2023 Financial Plan Amendment Bylaw and 2019 Property Tax Rates Bylaw both passed three readings. The 2019 property tax increase is 5%.
Section 10 a, b

Staff Appointments
Council appointed Craig Dishkin as a Bylaw Enforcement Officer.
Section 10 c

Georgia Greenway Update
Phase 1 of the Georgia Greenway project is complete and now open for public use. The new 0.5km multi-use trail travels through Harewood Centennial Park, connecting Sixth Street and Seventh Street.
Section 10 d

Traffic Calming
A partial road closure will be put into place on Opal Road at Rock City Road to assist with traffic calming in the neighbourhood.
Section 10 e

Economic Development
Council approved a terms of reference for the development of the City’s Economic Development Model. The consultation and research process will be led by a skilled consultant/facilitator with the goal being to have a new economic development delivery model in place next year.
Section 10 f

Development around Nanaimo
A Development Permit, with variances, was issued for 337 Robson Street.
Section 10 g

A Development Variance Permit was issued for 2067 and 2073 Boxwood Road.
Section 10 h

Rezoning applications for 6683 Mary Ellen Drive and 3200 Island Highway North, to allow a cannabis retail store, passed two readings. A third reading for each location will be considered once a community contribution has been secured. The applicant for both locations is the Province of British Columbia’s Liquor Distribution Branch (LDB).
Section 10 i, j

Climate Emergency
The City of Nanaimo will be declaring a climate emergency and a number of steps will be put in place to protect our economy, eco systems and community from global warming including:

- The creation of a reserve fund used to support projects, plans and initiatives that reduce the City’s CO2 emissions

- An update to the City’s Community Sustainability Action Plan, including the framework, strategies, actions and implementation.

- Correspondence sent to the Regional District of Nanaimo requesting the addition of 20,000 annual public transit hours.

- Correspondence sent to the provincial Minister of Environment and Climate Change Strategic requesting the province reinstate the production of the Community Energy and Emissions Inventory Reports or dedicate grant funding to be used for their creation.
Section 14 a

Council voted to accept a climate challenge sent to them from the District of Highlands. 
Section 12 a

April 29, 2019 Regular Council Meeting – agenda, documents and video